A young Japanese girl was to be considered as a camp counselor in 1933, according to the minutes and ledgers of the camp committee. There were no notes as to whether this was the first foreign girl, but it was not the last.
March 16, 1934, the minutes stated “After a discussion as to whether to ask a foreign counselor to camp this year or not, it was decided to write to the National Committee to see if one could be procured. The report will come in the next meeting. A person from Norway or Sweden was the preference this year.”
Again in notes from the 1935 meeting, Miss Lorna Fang was not only to serve as the camp doctor, but the foreign counselor—“as her life experience in China will help promote a better understanding of the girls in other lands.”
Thirties camper Edna Young was eleven years old and in hut four at the bottom of the hill on the main path when she had her first experience with a foreign counselor by the name of Setsu Matsunubo, who was from Japan and a student at U of M.
“She wore a housedress all the time. I don’t think she owned anything else! She stood in the middle of the hut when the girls would not settle down, telling us to be quiet, and she spoke very good English.”
Fifties camper Minette Jacques recalled the summer she spent in hut six when Senior Village was built. “Buzz” was our counselor and her assistant was a girl from Japan. “I still have the autograph book where she wrote something to me in Japanese and I have no idea what it says,” she laughed.
Kerry Weber remembered the same counselor, who taught sailing and canoeing and was so proficient with her ropes that her toes had calluses! The girls enjoyed the special dessert she made from sugar, rice, honey and grape leaves, which formed a sticky ball.
Exchange counselors in the seventies included Hans de Jong from Holland and Mel Hurst from Hawaii. I tried unsuccessfully to track Hans down, but he found me through an article written about the camp, and he had pleasant memories of his time at Camp Maqua.
Hans had a seven-week stay at camp through the International Camp Counselors Program in 1978, which was the last year of the co-ed merger called “Camp Maquois”. He was twenty-six and was studying biology, but a friend of his had been to the U.S. to camp the year before and it prompted Hans to take his first trip.
He had the responsibility for both boys and girls, in separate week sessions, where he taught tennis, arts and crafts and helped with the campouts. His background was in sailing, but it was a minor activity at camp for him. His English was fairly good, so he was able to converse, and he had previous experience with children. He kept in touch with Kim Moore (1967-78) for many years after camp.
Were there any foreign counselors during your session? What country were they from and how did they adjust to camp life?